


Of Jockeys And Jaegerflies

by tielan



Series: Fire And Focus AU [3]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Co-pilots, Family, Friendship, Gen, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-07
Packaged: 2018-01-11 12:13:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1172928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako Mori, her co-pilot, and discussions of Jaegerflies in the morning after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Jockeys And Jaegerflies

**Author's Note:**

> Cotton Candy Bingo: _Friends/Friendship_
> 
> Sequel to [Prélude à la Matinée d'un Pilote de Jaeger](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1170551) (Mako/Raleigh).
> 
> This is from the "Fire and Focus" AU where Sydney's Son & Tokyo's Daughter are Drift-compatible and pilot Striker Eureka together.
> 
> As it turns out, Chuck-piloting-with-Mako is slightly less dysfunctional than he is in canon - he can use all his 'feeling' words now! - but I don't think he'd be Chuck Hansen if he didn't retain his essential dickishness.
> 
> Mako's English has taken a rather more Australian turn in parts. She's also a bit more comfortable in her skin in this universe. Blame that on the Drift with Chuck.

Against all odds, Chuck is actually awake and showered and looking rather the worse for wear when Mako finally lets herself in. He stands up as Max promptly deserts him to waddle over to Mako.

“Well, look who’s doing the walk of shame!”

Mako rubs Max about his ears and jowls as he snuffles around her knees and pokes his nose between her legs. “Max!” She nudges him away with her knee and he gives her a hurt doggy look, but accepts another head-rub in recompense, although his nostrils twitch. “I am surprised to find you already awake.”

“Yeah, well, my head feels like a dozen _kaiju_ stomped in through my eyeballs and left _kaiju_ blue all over my brain.”

"You drank so much last night I am surprised you don’t have alcohol poisoning.”

Chuck snorts and indicates the mugs and tin he’s got out on the bench. “It’d take more than last night to sucker me. Milo?”

“Yes, please.” But before he can turn away to make the malty milk drink, Mako steps in to wrap her arms around him. He smells of lemon and eucalyptus soap, and hugs her back without hesitation, his cheek pressing against her temple. They are not demonstrative but the physical contact is as necessary to them as it is to any Jaeger pilot pairing. And she was worried after the stress of yesterday, and his excesses last night. “You are okay?”

“Lucky’s a write-off, and they’re both being checked over, but they made it out.” His voice is hoarse. “And Matador got the bastard in the end so…”

“‘Just this once, everybody lives,’” Mako quotes into his shoulder. She doesn’t address that he didn’t directly answer the question. He did, in his own way.

“Yeah. Everybody lives.” Chuck breathes in, then lets her go on the exhale, grimacing as he holds her away. “Fuck, Mako, you _reek_. No wonder Max was checking you out!”

“I reek?”

“Of sex.” He wrinkles his nose and pushes her a little further away. “So who do I get to punch out for this?”

She snorts and goes to hang up her jacket and take off her boots, glad to be turned away from him when her cheeks are so hot. “Nobody.”

“And does ‘Nobody’ happen to go by the name of Raleigh Becket?” He growls when she doesn’t answer. “Oh, I’m gonna rearrange that pretty face of his for this!”

Mako dumps her boots in the locker, pulls out a towel, and slams the door shut. “No, you will not, Chuck. You do not have a say in this – no more than I had a say in all those silly Jaegerflies you slept with!”

“That’s different.”

“Because I am a girl?” Mako tilts her head. “Or should I have saved myself for someone you approve?”

“Don’t take that tone with me.” Chuck scowls as he pours out the milk. “He’s a Becket! They have a reputation, you know.”

“I know. And it is well-earned.”

“Ugh. File that under _Things I Don’t Want To Know Next Time We Drift_.”

“You will not be able to avoid it.” Her insides have gone liquid at the pleasurable recollection of a morning spent in bed with Raleigh. “You could learn a thing or two from—”

“Okay, ground rules right here. No sharing outside the Drift!” He dumps spoonfuls of drink mix in the milk and stirs it with an almost vicious scrape of the spoon. “Please, just don’t be _stupid_ about him, okay?”

“Because I am always so stupid about guys.”

“There’s always a first time!”

“It is sex; not love, marriage, and happily ever after, Chuck. Remember?”

“Yeah, but this is Raleigh fucking Becket!”

“Would you have preferred it to be Yancy?”

Across the room, Chuck’s nape goes red. Mako is not the only one in their partnership with a crush on a Becket brother. “No. I just... Raleigh Becket? I mean...really?”

“He was good. It was fun.” And educational. And very, very sexy. Mako thinks she begins to understand why the Jaegerflies chase the Becket Boys.

Chuck makes a snorting noise as he thrusts the mug at her. “Did you hear the part about _no sharing_?”

“If I share, you will know. And you could stop asking.”

“I wasn’t asking!”

“Then stop talking.”

“You stop first!”

Mako gives up and leans back against the bench to drink her Milo.

She doesn’t know why Chuck likes this drink – it is not even properly chocolate – but he has transferred his fondness for it over to her through the Drift. He complains of wanting mochi at odd intervals, but it is hardly the same thing. Mochi are far harder to come by than Milo, even to world-famous Jaeger pilots.

Their phones beep simultaneously, signalling a message, and Max looks up with a grunt of interest where he’s settled himself by Chuck’s feet. Mako crouches down to give him a head rub and lets Chuck check his phone since it’s most likely the same message.

“Dad’s coming in with Pentecost tomorrow.” He frowns. “He says Scott’s still in medical and we need to talk. Poke me. Ow! Not that hard!”

“You said I could.” Mako takes her opportunities where they are granted. “And, no, you are not dreaming and we are not in some alternate universe.”

“Would we even know it if we were?” Chuck snorts. “Wait, no, my dad wants us to talk. Yeah, we’re in a weird parallel universe or something.”

“Your father loves you,” Mako says, more because it never hurts to remind him than because he needs reminding.

“Yeah, whatever.” He frowns down at the message. “Wonder what it’s about.”

Mako shrugs and finishes her cup of Milo, setting it down next to the kitchenette sink. “We will find out tomorrow. I am going to shower. Since I reek of sex-with-Raleigh-Becket.”

Chuck makes a disgusted noise in his throat. “Sometimes I wonder why _I_ got stuck as your bloody co-pilot.”

The opening is too good. “While I wonder why I got stuck co-piloting with you _all_ the time.” Mako dodges his swipe without even looking, squealing when he nearly trips over Max and his Milo sloshes in his cup. “Watch it! You nearly squashed Max!”

Chuck growls at her, but the noise doesn’t have any real bite behind it. He rubs bare his toes over Max’s belly in apology, and the bulldog rolls over in acceptance.

“Mako?”

She pauses at the bathroom entrance and looks back. His pout makes her answer cautiously. “Yes?”

“My Jaegerflies aren’t _silly_ – they have taste and discrimination.”

A memory surfaces. Raleigh catching her on her way out, pressing her up against the door, and kissing her deep enough to curl her toes inside her boots before he drew back. _I’ll be your Jaegerfly anytime you like, Mako._

She smirks at Chuck. “So does mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Raleigh's POV of the morning will definitely be turning up at some point.
> 
> I have absolutely no idea how to post these stories. Somewhere along the line, they might end up forming a whole and complete story, but for the moment it's just a few beads in a string.


End file.
